Unicorn Riot closely covered the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock. Our free full-length documentary: Black Snake Killaz: A #NoDAPL Story (2017). See also the DAPL tag and DAPL category for coverage.
Denver, CO — This week is the National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) annual nationwide campaign called “Week of Abolition” where local NLG law school chapters host events, activities and actions to spread knowledge and promote discussion about “alternatives to the criminal punishment system” with an aim…
Fort Yates, ND — An environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline conducted by a consulting firm connected to the pipeline is raising concerns. More than two years after the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) was court ordered to conduct a new environmental…
Washington, DC – Today the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal brought by Energy Transfer, the energy giant behind the highly contested Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). This means that the existing federal court decision in the case, which found the pipeline was…
Bismarck, ND – On March 3, Steve Martinez was jailed at the Burleigh County Detention Center after refusing to testify before a secret federal grand jury investigating 2016 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Martinez is now finally free as of April 12, according to…
Bismarck, ND – On Wednesday, March 3, Steve Martinez was arrested and imprisoned at the Burleigh County Detention Center after refusing to testify before a secret federal grand jury. Martinez was an eyewitness to a violent police attack on water protectors against the Dakota Access…
Standing Rock Reservation – The tribe that led the fight against Energy Transfer Partner’s Dakota Access Pipeline is expanding its commitment as a leader in addressing climate change with the creation of a public power authority to develop a 235-megawatt (MW) wind farm.
Anpetu Wi…
Fargo, ND – After years of ongoing litigation surrounding the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), today District Judge James Boasberg ordered that the pipeline be shut down and emptied of oil within 30 days. Boasberg’s shutdown order is intended to last until the Army Corps…
Des Moines, IA – Two environmental activists, Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for charges related to acts of sabotage against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in 2016 and 2017.
The two are charged with “one count of…
Midwest, USA – Unicorn Riot obtained over 100 hours of infrared (IR) video footage taken by police surveillance aircraft during the 2016 protests in Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Drones, planes, and helicopters were used by law enforcement from multiple agencies to monitor…
MINNESOTA – Unicorn Riot has uncovered documents revealing the creation of a task force stockpiling equipment and training police in preparation for Line 3 pipeline protests across the state. The documents show coordination between various law enforcement agencies from states across the region including Minnesota,…
Bismarck, ND – Almost two years after the eviction of indigenous encampments resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), federal prosecutions have continued to crack down on some of those involved.
All of the federal #NoDAPL cases stem around events on October 27, 2016, when a…
Minnesota – Unicorn Riot has uncovered documents showing coordination between state-wide authorities to prepare for anti-pipeline protests. Emails obtained from Minnesota State Patrol under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act show close cooperation between state and local law enforcement, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety,…
Bismarck, ND – A third federal defendant has been sentenced to prison as the US Attorney’s office continues to prosecute indigenous people involved in defending protest encampments opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in fall 2016.
Last Thursday, September 28, Michael Markus, also known as…
Bismarck, ND – Red Fawn Fallis, a political prisoner arrested during the movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, was sentenced today in federal court by Judge Daniel Hovland. Fallis was sentenced to 57 months (4.75 years) in federal prison. She will receive a credit…
Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds marched for the 2018 Murdered Missing Indigenous Women’s march. The march, led by women singing the Women’s Warrior song, marked the fourth Valentine’s Day in a row that people have taken the streets clad in red hoping that people include the…
Red Valley, AZ – On October 13, 2017, Unicorn Riot attended an event called “Defend Dinetah” held in the Red Valley Chapter of the Navajo Nation. We spoke with Christian J. Johnson and Bobby Leonard Mason, who helped organize what Bobby called “a small festival”…
Minneapolis, MN – In honor of American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis James Banks, who passed away on October 29, people took and held space in the middle of Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis on Saturday, November 5 slightly after 11 p.m. CDT. The shutdown was also…
Morton County, ND – A new investigation by DeSmog and Muckrock reveals the behind-the-scenes role played by the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) in crafting narratives for law enforcement tasked with protecting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) from resistance by indigenous peoples and their allies.
Emails…
Huntingdon, PA – After receiving all necessary permits from state regulatory agencies in February, Sunoco Logistics has been pushing ahead with construction of the Mariner 2 East Pipeline. Sunoco Logistics Partners and Energy Transfer Partners, announced the completion of their corporate merger on April 28.…
Huntingdon County, PA – In May, Unicorn Riot visited Camp White Pine, a direct action encampment on the Gerhart family’s property in the hills of Huntingdon County, PA. Several tree-sits currently sit on the easement for the Mariner East 2 pipeline, where Sunoco has claimed…
Washington, DC – Federal judge James Boasberg today partially sided with the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes in their ongoing lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
In December 2016, the Army Corps of…
Dallas, TX – Energy Transfer Partners (who recently completed their official merger with Sunoco Logistics) announced today that the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is now operational, carrying oil from the Bakken shale fields in North Dakota to its end terminal in Patoka, Illinois. This news…
Bismarck, ND – Leaked documents created by military intelligence contractor TigerSwan, recently obtained and published by The Intercept, provide a previously unseen look inside the operations taken by Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) security contractors against the #NoDAPL movement. TigerSwan was contracted to coordinate DAPL security…
UPDATE (May 22, 2017): Since the initial news of its April 4 spill in South Dakota, reports have emerged that the Dakota Access Pipeline spilled twice in North Dakota on March 3 and March 5 of this year. The AP reports:
Bismarck, N.D. – (AP)…
BLACK SNAKE KILLAZ: A #NoDAPL STORY
Synopsis:
Black Snake Killaz is a feature-length documentary film about the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. This film explores actions taken by water protectors to stop the construction of the oil pipeline and highlights actions taken by law…
Omaha, NE – The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that Kyle Kirchmeier, the sheriff of Morton County, North Dakota, is providing consultation services to law enforcement in areas where the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline (KXL) is expected to be built.
Kirchmeier is known for commanding…
Sacred Stone Camp, ND – On April 1st, 2017, Unicorn Riot returned to the Standing Rock Reservation for the one year celebration of the establishment of the Sacred Stone Camp. The camp was erected April 1st, 2016, after a thirty mile horse ride from the…
Mahaska County, IA & Lincoln County, SD – Authorities in both South Dakota and Iowa have confirmed that alleged acts of sabotage against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) are being investigated in both states.
The Associated Press reports:
Authorities in South Dakota and Iowa confirmed…
